Clinical Nutrition Specialist Lead
About The Position
The Clinical Nutrition Specialist Lead provides timely, comprehensive, evidence-based nutritional care and education to patients and families. The role leads and supports other nutrition professionals, contributes to department operations, monitors work quality and quantity, and advances clinical nutrition through performance improvement. The position provides nutrition assessment, monitoring, evaluation, education, and individualized care planning for patients across the lifecycle. It communicates nutrition plans to care teams, supports continuity of care, develops education materials and procedures, and trains and mentors dietetic interns, peers, and medical professionals. The lead also provides clinical guidance to staff, supports employee training and performance evaluation activities, and may act as the authority in the absence of the Chief Clinical Dietitian and Clinical Nutrition Manager. The role participates in interdisciplinary and nutrition support rounds, consults with health care team members, evaluates clinical literature and products, develops evidence-based standards and protocols, and performs quality assurance monitoring. It also analyzes trends, recommends corrective action, serves on committees, represents the department at community nutrition functions, and attends department meetings.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree, accepted for degrees received before January 1, 2024 if certified by the Commission on Dietetics Registration, plus two years of experience as a Clinical Nutrition Specialist for Food and Nutrition Services; or a master's degree from an ACEND-certified program for degrees received on or after January 1, 2024, plus two years of experience as a Clinical Nutrition Specialist for Food and Nutrition Services; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Demonstrated proficiency and competent performance of the required tasks of a Clinical Nutrition Specialist I or Clinical Nutrition Specialist II.
- Registered Dietitian (RD) credential required upon hire.
- Advanced certification such as CNSC, CDCES, CSP, or another specialist certification in the specific area of practice required upon hire.
- Advanced clinical nutrition skills and knowledge, including the ability to exercise independent judgment and make advanced decisions.
Responsibilities
- Provide ongoing nutritional assessment, monitoring, evaluation, and education to patients and families.
- Develop and implement individualized nutrition care plans for patients across the lifecycle, as assigned.
- Integrate evidence-based research into patient education, clinical practice, and management.
- Communicate nutrition plans and their rationale verbally and in the medical record, using secure patient communication modalities such as Zoom and MyChart.
- Educate patients, families, and significant others on medical nutrition therapy and food-drug interactions.
- Ensure continuity of care when patients transition to another level of care or are discharged.
- Develop nutrition education materials and deliver lectures to residents, nurse practitioners, and fellows on parenteral and enteral nutrition.
- Mentor Clinical Nutrition Specialists and Clinical Dietitians, precept dietetic interns, and provide didactic training to students, peers, and medical professionals.
- Maintain expertise through relevant continuing education.
- Provide clinical direction, support, answers, and resources to Clinical Nutrition Specialists and Clinical Dietitians.
- Assist with developing clinical nutrition goals and objectives, procedures, training materials, and training plans for new employees.
- Serve as a liaison between inpatient and outpatient dietitians in the assigned field of responsibility.
- Assist the Chief Clinical Dietitian and Clinical Nutrition Manager with performance evaluation data and act as the authority in their absence.
- Participate frequently in unit-based, disease-specific, interdisciplinary, and weekly nutrition support rounds; serve as a consultant and resource to the health care team.
- Serve as a liaison between patients or units and foodservice staff.
- Exercise independent judgment and advanced decision making; evaluate literature, products, and techniques; and develop standards and protocols for consistent, appropriate, evidence-based therapies.
- Perform quality assurance monitoring, analyze data, identify trends and problems, and recommend corrective action.
- Serve on department and hospital initiative committees, represent the department at community nutrition functions, and attend scheduled department staff meetings.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
